Jesus invited a paralyzed man to "be of good cheer." He gave the same message to his apostles as He prepared to suffer for our sins in Gethsemane. How could He speak of cheerfulness at that time? Because He knew that He would be victorious.
The Tree
It's Christmastime, and there is a large tree in my house covered with lights. I'm sure many of you have one of those as well. As I've observed our tree, I've thought about the symbolism of trees in the scriptures, particularly in the Book of Mormon. Near the beginning of the Book of Mormon, a... Continue Reading →
A Tree of Life
Multiple scriptures discuss "the tree of life," referring either to the second named tree in the Garden of Eden, representing immortality (Genesis 2:9, 2 Nephi 2:15, Alma 12:22-26, Alma 42:2-5) or to the focal point of Lehi's dream, representing the love of God as manifest through Jesus Christ (1 Nephi 8:10, 1 Nephi 11:25, 1... Continue Reading →
The Book of Psalms and the Book of Mormon
The brass plates which Lehi and his family carried from Jerusalem contained a lot of content which overlaps with the Old Testament. Nephi describes three categories of writings, which correspond with three of the four groupings of books in the Old Testament: "The five books of Moses" - The Law (Genesis through Deuteronomy)"A record of... Continue Reading →
O Be Joyful
Based on: Psalm 100 Core message: The gospel can bring pure joy into our lives if we will just get out of our own way and let it happen. Related Book of Mormon passages: 1 Nephi 1:15, 2 Nephi 9:3, 2 Nephi 11:8
Consoled, Restored, Refined
When we are passing through difficulties, what kind of assistance can we expect from God? As Elder Dale G. Renlund has pointed out, we can expect at least three things: Consolation: The prophet Jacob assured his people that God "will console you in your afflictions" (Jacob 3:1).Restoration: At the end of the book of Job, we read, "The Lord gave... Continue Reading →
Overcoming Temptation: Lessons from David and Corianton
We are all tempted. Lehi taught that there is a devil and that he "seeketh that all men might become miserable like unto himself" (2 Nephi 2:27). Alma identified Zeezrom's combativeness as "a snare of the adversary, which he has laid to catch this people" (Alma 12:6). And King Benjamin warned his people, "beware lest... Continue Reading →
Finding Grace
When Ruth and her mother-in-law, Naomi, arrived in Bethlehem, they needed a way to obtain food. Ruth said, "Let me now go to the field, and glean [fallen grain] after him in whose sight I shall find grace" (Ruth 2:2). Even though the law required farmers to leave their extra grain for the poor, she... Continue Reading →
Your Past Does Not Define You
I was struck this morning by something Elder S. Gifford Nielsen observed about Joshua: He was raised as a slave in Egypt. How did he become the successor of Moses, leading the children of Israel into the promised land? Certainly not by dwelling on his own weaknesses or lack of qualifications. Here is Elder Nielsen’s... Continue Reading →
Forty Years
How long does it take to become spiritually mature? Answer: it is an ongoing process, and God guides us through that process by stages. The Lord led Abraham to the land of Canaan and promised that he and his descendants would live there. But immediately afterward, Abraham was forced to move south, to the land... Continue Reading →
Book of Mormon Study Notes 